What are Lehigh Valley lawmakers saying about money for a border wall?

Rebecca Blackwell / AP

Contractors work to reinforce a section of the U.S. border wall in San Diego where scores of Central American migrants have crossed illegally in recent weeks, shot through the fence from Tijuana, Mexico, Monday, Dec. 10, 2018. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Contractors work to reinforce a section of the U.S. border wall in San Diego where scores of Central American migrants have crossed illegally in recent weeks, shot through the fence from Tijuana, Mexico, Monday, Dec. 10, 2018. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) (Rebecca Blackwell / AP)

President Donald Trump’s push for money to build his border wall is at the center of a fight over year-end legislation to prevent a partial government shutdown next week.

Trump’s commitment to the $5 billion he’s seeking for the border wall was on display in a fiery Oval Office meeting Tuesday, in which the president and top congressional Democrats publicly clashed.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have offered much less than the figure that Trump is seeking, proposing $1.3 billion instead.

So what do Lehigh Valley lawmakers say about spending money on the border wall? Those responding to The Morning Call’s inquiries showed little excitement for a border wall, but varying levels of support of other types of bolstered border security.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, the newly sworn-in lawmaker representing the Lehigh Valley, has said that she would oppose funding for a border wall. However, she may support funding for other types of security measures.

“I could accept some level of funding because I’ve said we need border security,” Wild said Monday evening, ahead of the dramatic Oval Office encounter with Trump, Pelosi and Schumer.

“I have to hear what all aspects of it are,” Wild added.

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, a Republican from Luzerne County, supports the $5 billion in funding that Trump seeks for the border wall.

“He told the people he was going to build a wall, and the American people voted for him because of that,” Barletta said. “I think Congress should do what the American people want.”

A spokesman for U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Bucks County Republican, skirted the question of the border funding, saying only that the congressman plans to support the upcoming spending bill.

A spokesman for Democratic Congressman Matt Cartwright, whose district includes Easton and other parts of Northampton County, did not respond Tuesday afternoon.

In a statement, Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey was supportive of the $1.6 billion that a bipartisan Senate funding bill has earmarked for border security.

“President Trump should commit to signing” that bill, Casey said. “National security experts have been clear that a wall won’t work; what these experts say is needed is advanced technology, like surveillance drones, that can provide 24/7 monitoring of the border. Congress should work in a bipartisan way to pass comprehensive immigration reform.”

On the Republican side of the Senate, a spokesman for Sen. Pat Toomey said the senator “believes that we need to enhance security at our southern border.”

“While he does not think building a 2,000 mile continuous wall is practical, he does support the increased use of physical barriers, surveillance technology, and border patrol agents to secure our border,” Kelly said.

Kelly added that Toomey “is not opposed to additional funding for border security so long as taxpayer dollars are used efficiently and effectively to keep Americans safe and enforce the law.”